Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

"By the way, who is this masked keyboard player? She's amazing. She can deliver all these lines on stage, like she's in a play."

When Xiangzi heard the discussions from the audience, his old face under the mask turned red.

She didn't know why she suddenly stood up and acted like this, but she felt that she had to help out.

We want everyone to be able to perform the second song in perfect condition.

The first person to be inspired by Xiangzi and respond was Pochi.

With her head lowered, she suddenly plucked the guitar strings, and a loud and passionate solo broke the silence of the stage.

At that moment, everyone's attention was attracted by the sound of her guitar.

As the notes rose, the stage light shining on Xiangzi gradually dimmed, and then a spotlight fell steadily on Pochi.

Pochi raised his head slightly and looked at the light shining on him. His stiff body trembled slightly, but his fingertips did not stop.

She gritted her teeth, tried to suppress the tension in her heart, and continued to play.

The notes were mixed with her nervousness and uneasiness, but more of it was a response to her teammates and a reward for Xiangzi's trust in her.

At this moment, Pochi, who was performing solo, stood in the center of the stage and became the only focus of the audience.

Her slender figure formed a sharp contrast with the passionate guitar sound, and the audience below held their breath and enjoyed her solo.

At this moment, Pochi showed her long-hidden talent.

Her fingering is fluid and her tone is deep and full.

She used a combination of finger-picking and strumming to make the music distinct; she used the technique of double-note glissando to let the melody move freely between the bass and treble areas; and the final tremolo pushed the emotions to a climax, venting all her inner emotions in these few tens of seconds!

In this solo, Pochi showed off a lot of guitar skills, which were several times better than what she had just shown.

Only then did the audience realize that the seemingly inconspicuous Pochi actually had such hidden strength!

"Pochi is so strong, I never thought..."

Teammates Hongxia, Kita and others were equally surprised.

But there was no time for surprise.

Just as the ending of Pochi's solo faded away and the audience had not yet recovered from the shock, a clear piano sound rang out.

“It’s the prelude to ‘That Band’!”

After taking a look at Xiangzi who had already taken over Pochi's prelude and started playing, Hongxia took a deep breath, gripped the drumstick tightly and smashed it down!

The band won't end here!

Chapter 28: Hiroi Kikuri is targeted by the "world"

"Cheers to the successful conclusion of the performance!"

Inside the izakaya, the girls who had just performed on the stage sat around a table filled with dishes, clinking their glasses with excited smiles on their faces.

Each of them had a smiling face, even Xiangzi had a rare relaxed smile on his face.

Looking at the girls' excitement, Hoshikawa Taku and Ijichi Seika, who were sitting opposite them, smiled at each other and drank the beer in their glasses in one gulp.

The band's second song was a huge success, with everyone performing perfectly and receiving unanimous praise from the audience.

After the show, to celebrate the successful completion of their first performance, they went to an izakaya to celebrate.

Hoshikawa Taku raised his beer mug and teased Xiangzi, "Xiangzi, I never thought you could perform so enthusiastically on stage. When I asked you to put on the mask, you really treated the stage as a 'masquerade'."

Xiangzi's face turned red all of a sudden.

"I don't know why I suddenly did that. I think the atmosphere was too awkward, so I wanted to ease it in some way..."

Xiangzi's cheeks flushed and he glared at Hoshikawa Taku in embarrassment and anger.

"In the final analysis, it's all because you suddenly shone the lights on me backstage! You didn't even give me any hints, so of course I had to wing it!"

"Okay, okay, it's my fault, it's my fault..." Taku Hoshikawa smiled and raised his hands in surrender.

When the light was shone on Xiangzi, Taku Hoshikawa was indeed looking forward to Xiangzi's performance, but he did not expect that Xiangzi would actually perform a drama.

It seems that Xiangzi has had a "middle school" heart in his mind for a long time.

It's really hard for her to hold it in for so long before expressing it.

"Alright, alright, stop teasing Xiangzi. She's the hero of today!"

Kita Ikuyo came up to Xiangzi with a smile and said sincerely, "Xiangzi, it's really thanks to you. If it weren't for your impromptu performance, our first performance might have ended in failure."

"It's not just me who's doing this. Pochi is amazing too." Xiangzi smiled and shook his head, saying modestly, "If it weren't for Pochi's amazing solo, the audience wouldn't have been so enthusiastic."

"Yeah, Pochi is amazing too. I have to give him some praise!"

Hong Xia nodded and sighed, "I didn't expect Pochi to perform so well. We worried for nothing beforehand, and it was us who made mistakes."

She was somewhat relieved that Xiangzi and Boqi were there, otherwise she really didn't know what the performance would turn out like.

Hongxia wanted to toast with Pochi, but when she turned around, Pochi was slumped in the corner, as if he had burned out.

For a socially anxious person like him, being able to perform such a solo on stage is really an effort.

"Pochi, don't turn into ash!"

Ijichi Seige smiled and helped Pochi up.

"Pochi, you're the hero today, come eat something to replenish your energy. Today is my treat, so feel free to eat. As for someone..."

She looked at Hiroi Kikuri, and although she didn't say anything else, her words were self-evident.

Hiroi Kikuri, who was sitting at the other end of the long table drinking with her two band members, noticed the gazes directed at her.

She came over with her own glass of wine.

"Don't look at me like that, I didn't mean it!"

She seemed to have forgotten what had happened before, and raised her glass to Hongxia and the others with a bright smile on her face as if nothing had happened.

"You guys performed really well today! Come, as a senior, I'd like to toast you too!"

The harmonious atmosphere just now suddenly turned cold.

Kita Ikuyo was the first to turn her head away, pretending to look at the menu, not even willing to glance at her.

Hong Xia lowered her head and fiddled with the chopsticks in her hand, looking as if she didn't intend to respond.

Liang simply took a sip of his drink and looked at Guangjing coldly, without any intention of responding.

Even Pochi, who is usually gentle and socially anxious and would never refuse anyone's request, subconsciously moved to the side a little to distance himself from Hiroi.

Hiroi Kikuri raised her beer glass, but no one responded.

"Hey? What's wrong with everyone? Don't you want to have a drink together?" Hiroi's hand holding the cup froze in mid-air, and he scratched his face in embarrassment.

"Everyone, please stop being so cold and violent towards me. I already know I was wrong. There weren't any major problems... The performance was a huge success, and everyone is happy!"

Ichichi Xingge gently put down his chopsticks, with a slight sneer on his face:

"Have a drink? Well, you can, but I suggest you pour out your glass of wine and replace it with mineral water."

Ijichi Hoshika was not polite to Hiroi Kikuri.

"Don't you think about how many stupid things you've done because of drinking?"

"Luckily, Hoshikawa Taku was here this time, otherwise the show would have ended when you smashed the junction box, and you'd never perform in our Livehouse again."

Ijichi Hoshika took out two envelopes from her pocket and handed them to the drummer and guitarist in Hiroi Kikuri's team.

"Here, you two have worked hard today. This is your performance fee."

Hiroi Kikuri's band [SICK HACK] is very popular. In addition to the index tickets, they also sold a lot of tickets.

The drummer took the envelope and took out the money inside, feeling a little surprised.

Yidizhi Xingge did not deduct a penny, and their share was exactly what it was.

"We caused an accident during the performance and nearly caused a huge mess, and they're not going to deduct our money?"

Ijichi Hoshige crossed his arms and said sternly, "It's due. The losses incurred by those who returned their tickets will be charged to your band, so... someone won't get paid."

"Eh? There's no share for me?"

Hiroi Kikuri was like a puppy waiting for her master to cook dinner. She knelt on the tatami and expected Ijichi Hoshika to pay her, but in the end she didn't get a penny.

Hearing this was like a bolt from the blue for her.

Hiroi Kikuri argued vigorously, "How could this happen?! Although I caused the loss, I tried my best to make up for it by heating up the atmosphere in the dark! If I hadn't been there, the rest of the audience would have run away long ago!"

"Don't you think about it? If it weren't for you causing this mess, why would the audience leave the venue and why would we suffer any losses?"

Yidizhi Xingge pinched her face and said expressionlessly, "It's good enough that I didn't ask you for money. How dare you ask me for money?"

Hiroi Kikuri was suddenly deflated.

She pleaded with a sullen face, "Please give me something! I only have 2,000 yen left on me now, not even enough for a drink!"

"Ask your teammates if you want to go."

Hiroi Kikuri came to her teammates pitifully, but the two teammates refused to give her any money as if they had agreed.

The drummer said coldly, "How many times have I told you, and you're still drinking on stage? We've helped you clean up so many messes, you should learn this lesson."

The blond guitarist had a sympathetic look on his face, but he said, "Kiri, this is entirely your fault. You should reflect on it."

"How could this happen..." Hiroi Kikuri burst into tears and called the waiter over to open another bottle of wine.

"In that case, I can only drink more to make up for the loss!"

Just when Hiroi Kikuri wanted to numb herself by drinking, Ijichi Hoshige said something lightly.

"When I say treat, I only mean Pochi Hongxia and the others. You pay for your own drinks."

Chapter 29: Signing a contract to end the band?

"How could this happen!" Hiroi Kikuri covered her face and let out a desperate wail, then collapsed at the table.

She was about to cry!

Why is everyone targeting her? She feels the malice from the world!

At this moment, Hoshikawa Taku suddenly spoke for her.

"Actually, Hiroi did contribute a lot. If it weren't for her, the band wouldn't have performed so well at the end, and wouldn't have had the chance to perform at the end. At least from the results, she helped everyone."

These words were like a breath of fresh air to Hiroi Kikuri, and she was so moved that she almost burst into tears.

Finally someone spoke up for her!

Hoshikawa Taku is indeed a good friend!

Hiroi Kikuri was extremely grateful that she met Hoshikawa Taku while she was singing at night. If she hadn't invited him to the show, tonight's incident would have caused her to be blacklisted from all the livehouses in Tokyo!

Although she is now "notorious", there are only two Livehouses that have not blocked her.

"That's true. We had over a hundred spectators at our first performance, which gave us a much better start than other new bands."

Kita Ikuyo chimed in, holding up her phone and saying, "Even our official account has gained over a dozen followers!"

"You have your own official account." Xiangzi was a little surprised.

“If we want more people to know about our band, offline performances alone are not enough. We also need online promotion and frequent interactions with fans!

With an official account, fans can also learn about the band’s schedule from the content posted there, making it easier for them to buy tickets.”

Kita smiled and asked, "Ms. Xiangzi, your previous band didn't have an official account?"

Xiangzi's smile froze for a moment.

"Yes, we have done similar publicity." Her tone was flat, but her eyes were a little vague.

CRYCHIC did the same before, posting their daily rehearsal and performance schedules on their account.

All five of them knew the password to that account, but... after CRYCHIC disbanded, Xiangzi never logged in again.

Xiangzi concealed it very well and Kita didn't notice.